as the human resources training professional you have trained hiring managers about the importance of some employee

March 30, 2021

high corp exercise 3

March 30, 2021

strategic thinking and self analysis reflection worksheet 1

In this final assignment for the course, you demonstrate your understanding of the components of and some obstacles to strategic and rational thinking. You also reflect on your own personal growth as a skilled critical thinker.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ON THE WORKSHEET PROVIDED ONLY

Chapter 15 Strategic Thinking: Part One

Strategic thinking has two phases:

The understanding of an important principle of mental functioning.
Using that understanding strategically to produce a mental change in ourselves.

In this chapter and the next, we move back and forth between important understandings and strategies based on them. Strategic thinking is the regularization of this practice. From understanding to strategy, and from strategy to self-improvement, is the pattern we are looking for.

Understanding and Using Strategic Thinking

If we understand that the mind has three functions—thinking, feeling, and desire (want)—and that these functions are interdependent, by implication we realize that any change in one of these functions produces a parallel shift in the other two. It follows, then, that if we change our thinking, there should be some shift at the level of feeling and desire. So if I think you are insulting me, I will feel some resentment and develop some desire to respond to that insult.

By the same token, if we feel some emotion (say, sadness), there should be some thinking (say, thinking we have lost something of significance) that accounts for that feeling. It follows, then, that if I experience an irrational negative emotion or an irrational desire, I should, in principle, be able to figure out the irrational thinking that is creating that feeling and desire.

Once we discover the irrational thinking, we should be able to modify that thinking by more reasonable thinking. Finding the thinking to be irrational, we should be able to construct a more reasonable substitute. We then work to replace irrational thinking with rational thinking. As the new, reasonable thinking takes root, we should experience some shift in our emotions and desires. More reasonable emotions and desires should emerge from more reasonable thinking.

Now to a specific case: Suppose you recently ended a romantic relationship and are dating someone else now. In the meantime, you learn that your ex is dating your roommate. You suddenly feel a powerful surge of jealousy and the desire to lash out at your roommate. Your irrational thinking is something like this:

I should get to control whom my roommate and my ex date. It is unfair that they are now dating when I don’t want them to. Even though I have given up the relationship, I still should be able to control her. She is still really mine! My roommate has no right to do something so upsetting to me. He should know how I feel, and my feelings should come first. So what if he’s attracted to my ex-girlfriend? He can just find someone else. If he’s my friend, I should come first.

This thinking—if we have accurately reconstructed it—is largely subconscious. Virtually no one would consciously own such thinking. Through active work, however, you can bring it to the surface of your thinking. You can do this by first recognizing that underlying every irrational feeling is an irrational thoughtprocess. In this case, you should first figure out exactly what feeling you are experiencing and then trace the feeling to the thinking leading to it. Hence, as in the preceding case, you should be able to spell out the probable unconscious thoughts that are fueling your irrational jealousy of, and anger toward, your roommate.

You usually will find that the thoughts are highly egocentric and infantile. These covert thoughts are what cause you to feel negative emotions. If you can determine the irrational thinking that is driving your emotions and behavior, you have a better chance of changing the emotions and behavior by working on the unreasonable thinking that is causing them.

In short, through active scrutiny and analytic reconstruction, you can begin to see how unreasonable and self-centered your thinking is in such cases. Then, using self-determined, strategic thinking, you can replace irrational thinking with thinking that makes sense, thinking such as:

Wait a minute—what’s wrong with my ex dating? I’m seeing new people myself. And what’s wrong with my roommate dating my ex? She has no obligation to consult me before she dates a person. If I really care for my ex, I should wish her well. And if she is attracted to my roommate, shouldn’t I wish them both well? If the situation were reversed, wouldn’t I want my ex to respond in this way?

Whenever you feel your irrational jealousy emerging, you deliberately think through the above reasoning. You do it again and again until you find productive, rational feelings and desires emerging. Some of the most powerful thoughts, feelings, and desires, though, are unconscious and primitive. Therefore, we should not expect ourselves to be able to completely displace all irrationality. Yet, by making our irrational thoughts explicit, we can better attack them with reason and good sense. We can be better people with healthier emotions and desires if we learn how to undermine, and thereby diminish, our irrational emotions and desires.

Now let’s look at how we proceeded from understanding to strategy and from strategy to improvement in the example above:

The understanding.

The human mind has three interrelated functions: thinking, feeling, and desiring, or wanting. These functions are interrelated and interdependent.

The strategy.

Whenever you find yourself having what may be irrational emotions or desires, figure out the thinking that probably is generating those emotions and desires. Then develop rational thinking with which to replace the irrational thinking you are using in the situation. Finally, whenever you feel the irrational negative emotions, rehearse the rational thinking, using this format:

Explicitly state what the feelings and desires are.
Figure out the irrational thinking leading to it.
Figure out how to transform the irrational thinking into rational thinking—thinking that makes sense in context.
Whenever you feel the negative emotion, repeat to yourself the rational thoughts you decided you needed to replace the irrational thoughts, until you feel the rational emotions that accompany reasonable thinking.

In Chapters 15 and 16 we briefly review some key concepts, principles, and theories discussed thus far in the book, followed by examples of strategic thinking based on the examples. The aim is illustration, not comprehensiveness.

We hope you will develop ideas of your own for improvement. There are no formulas for a simple and painless life. Like you, we are working on the problem of targeting and removing our defective thinking. Like you, we are working to become more rational and fairminded. We must recognize the challenge that this development represents.

As with all forms of personal development, development of thinking means transforming deeply ingrained habits. It can happen only when we take responsibility for our own growth as rational persons. Learning to think strategically must become a lifelong habit. It must replace the habit most of us have of thinking impulsively, of allowing our thinking to gravitate toward its own typically unconscious, egocentric agenda.

Are you willing to make self-reflection a lifelong habit? Are you willing to become a strategic thinker? Are you willing to unearth the irrational thoughts, feelings, and desires that lurk in the dark corners of your mind? Are you willing to develop a compassionate mind? If so, you should find these two chapters on strategic thinking useful.

Components of Strategic Thinking

Before proceeding to examples of strategic thinking, you will have to add two components to your intellectual repertoire as you seek to implement the strategies outlined in this chapter:

An identifying component. You must be able to figure out when your thinking is irrational or flawed.
An intellectual action component. You must actively engage and challenge the acts of your own mind.

In the intellectual action component, you must figure out four things:

What is actually going on in the situation as it stands.
Your options for action.
A justifiable rationale for choosing one of the options.
Ways of reasoning with yourself when you are being unreasonable, or ways of reducing the power of your irrational state of mind.

The Beginnings of Strategic Thinking

Let us now consider some basic concepts, principles, and theories of critical thinking, providing examples of strategic thought as implied by those principles. In each case, we start with a key idea. We then explore strategies for improving thinking based on that idea. We begin with a more formal approach to the example given at the beginning of this chapter.

Key Idea #1: Thoughts, Feelings, and Desires Are Interdependent

As noted, the mind is composed of three functions: thinking, feeling, and desiring or wanting. Wherever one of these functions is present, the other two are present as well. These three functions are continually influencing and being influenced by one another. Our thinking influences our feelings and desires. Our feelings influence our thinking and desires. Our desires influence our thinking and feeling.

We cannot immediately change our desires or feelings. We have direct access only to thinking. It makes no sense for someone to order you to feel what you do not feel or to desire what you do not desire. We do not change feelings by substituting other feelings or desires by substituting other desires. But someone can suggest that we consider a new way to think. We can role-play new thoughts but not new emotions or desires. It is possible to reason within a point of view with which we do not agree. By rethinking our thinking, we may change it. And when our thinking changes, our feelings and desires will shift in accordance with our thinking.

Strategic Idea

With a basic understanding of the interrelation among thoughts, feelings, and desires, we should be able to routinely notice and evaluate our feelings. If, for example, I experience a degree of anger that I sense may be unreasonable, I should be able to determine whether the anger is or is not rational. I should be able to evaluate the rationality of my anger by evaluating the thinking that gave rise to it.

Has someone truly wronged me, or am I misreading the situation?
Was this wrong intentional or unintentional?
Are there ways to view the situation other than the way I am viewing it?
Am I giving a fair hearing to these other ways?
By pursuing these questions, I can come closer to a rational view of the situation.

Even if my way of viewing the situation is justified and I do have good reason to feel some anger, it does not follow that I have acted reasonably, given the full facts of the situation. I may have good reason to feel angry but not to act irrationally as a result of that anger.

This strategy might be roughly outlined as follows:

Identify a feeling you have experienced that you suspect might be irrational (a feeling such as irritability, resentment, arrogance, or depression).
What thinking would account for the feeling? There may be more than one possibility here. If so, figure out which possibility is most likely.
Determine the extent to which the thinking is reasonable. Pay close attention to the reasons you give to justify the thinking. Is it possible that these are not your actual reasons? Can you think of any other motives you might have? Consider alternative interpretations of the situation.
If you conclude that the feeling is irrational, express precisely why you think so.
Construct thinking that would represent a rational response in the situation.

Actively attack the irrational thinking with rational thought. Actively rehearse the thinking that represents a rational response.

For example, suppose I read an article about a fatal disease and come to the conclusion, from reading the symptoms, that I probably have the disease. I then become depressed. Late at night I think about how I will soon be dead, and I feel more and more depressed as a result. Clearly, the irrational feeling is depression. It is irrational because, until a doctor examines me and confirms a diagnosis, I have no good reason for believing that I actually have the disease in question. My irrational thinking is something like this:

I have all the symptoms described in the article. So I must have this awful disease. I am going to die soon. My life is now meaningless. Why is this happening to me? Why me?

In the same situation, rational thinking would be something like this:

Yes, it is possible that I have this disease, given that I seem to have the symptoms of it, but very often the same symptoms are compatible with many bodily states. This being the case, it is not likely that I have this rare disease, and, in any case, it will do me no good to jump to conclusions. Still, as a matter of prudence and for peace of mind, I should go to the doctor as soon as possible to get a professional diagnosis. Until I get this diagnosis, I should focus my thinking on other, more useful things to think about than an unsubstantiated possibility.

Whenever I find myself feeling depressed about what the article said, I rerun the rational thinking through my mind and give myself a good talking-to as well:

Hey, don’t go off the deep end. Remember, you’ll see the doctor on Monday. Don’t put yourself through unnecessary pain. There are probably a lot of possibilities to account for your symptoms. Come back down to earth. Remember the Mother Goose rhyme, “For every problem under the sun, there is a solution or there is none. If there be one, seek ’til you find it. If there be none, never mind it.” Don’t wallow in misery when it doesn’t do any good and only diminishes the quality of your life today.

And now, how about scheduling some tennis for this afternoon and a good movie for tonight?

A similar approach can be taken to changing irrational behavior grounded in irrational desires or motivations:

Identify the questionable behavior (behavior that is getting you in trouble, causing problems for you, or causing problems for someone else).
Identify the precise thinking leading to that behavior. What is the thinking that is generating the motivation to act in this manner?
Analyze the extent to which the thinking is justified, without leaving out any significant relevant information.
If the thinking is irrational, develop thinking that would be reasonable in this situation.
Actively attack the unreasonable thinking with reasonable thinking.

We might use many examples here to illustrate our point. But let’s choose one that deals with a large segment of irrational human behavior. Here we are thinking of the many times when people abandon a commitment to change a bad habit because they are unwilling to work through the pain or discomfort that accompanies changing habits. Here’s how the irrational behavior arises:

We notice that we have developed a bad habit that we would like to end. We realize, quite reasonably, that we shall have to make a change in our behavior. This could involve giving up any of the following habits: smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating foods that are not good for us, not exercising enough, spending too much time watching television, spending too much money, not studying until just before an examination, or some other habit.
We make a resolution to change our bad habit.
For a short time, we do change our behavior, but during that time we experience pain or discomfort. These negative emotions discourage us. So we give up.

The irrational feelings are not the sensations of pain or discomfort. These emotions are to be expected. The irrational feeling is the discouragement that emerges from the discomfort and causes us to give up our resolution to change. This feeling is a result of irrational thinking (probably subconscious), which can be put into words roughly as:

I should be able to change my behavior without experiencing any pain or discomfort, even if I have had this habit for years. This pain is too much. I can’t stand it. Furthermore, I really don’t see how my changed behavior is helping much. I don’t see much progress given all of my sacrifice. Forget it. It’s not worth it.

This thinking makes no sense. Why should we expect to experience no pain or discomfort when we change a habit? Indeed, the reverse is true. Discomfort or pain of some kind is an essential by-product of going through a process of withdrawal from almost any habit. The appropriate rational thinking is something like this:

Whenever I am trying to change a habit, I must expect to feel discomfort and even pain. Habits are hard for anyone to break. But the only way I can expect to replace the habit with rational behavior is to endure the necessary suffering that comes with change. If I’m not willing to endure the discomfort that goes hand in hand with breaking a bad habit, I’m not really committed to change. Rather than expecting no pain, I must welcome it as a sign of real change. Instead of thinking, “Why should I have to endure this?” I rehearse the thinking, “Enduring this is the price I must pay for success.” I must apply the motto: No pain, no gain.

Key Idea #2: There Is a Logic to This, and You Can Figure It Out

As a critical thinker, you approach every dimension of learning as requiring the construction of a system of meanings in your mind that makes sense and enables you to make logical inferences about the subject of your focus. The expression, “The logic of…” designates such a system. As a critical thinker, you recognize that there is a logic to academic subjects (a logic to chemistry, physics, mathematics, sociology). There is also a logic to questions, problems, and issues (a logic to economic questions, social problems, controversial issues, personal problems).

There is a logic to situations. There is a logic to personal behavior. There are explicit and implicit logics, admitted and hidden logics. There is a logic to warfare and a logic to peace, a logic to offense and a logic to defense. There are political logics, social logics, institutional logics, cultural logics.

There is a logic to the way the human mind works, a logic to power, a logic to domination, to mass persuasion, to propaganda, to manipulation. There is a logic to social conventions and a logic to ethical concepts and principles. There is theo-logic, bio-logic, and psycho-logic. There is even patho-logic (the logic of disease and malfunctioning). Each can be figured out by the disciplined, critical mind.

Using the elements of thought to figure out the basic logic of something is a practice to which we hope you are becoming accustomed. It is a powerful strategy for achieving perspective and gaining leverage or command. The following discussion is confined largely to the logic of personal life.

In every human situation or context, multiple systems of meaning are usually present. As a critical thinker, you engage in a process of figuring out why your parents, friends, teachers, and employers relate to you in the way they do. This is true because everyone makes sense of the situations of their own life in some way. To do this, they must use, at least implicitly, the eight elements of thought. If you can identify the elements of others’ thinking, you can understand better where they are coming from.

You can assume all of the following:
Everyone you interact with has purposes or objectives they are trying to achieve.
Everyone has problems that relate to those purposes.
They are basing their reasoning on some information.
They come to conclusions based on that information, conclusions that may or may not be logical in the circumstance.
They take certain things for granted or make certain assumptions.
They use certain key ideas or concepts in their thinking.
They think within a point of view, within a frame of reference that may keep them from seeing things objectively.
Consequences result from their thinking.

By assuming that there is always a logic to what happens in the world and in the minds of those who operate in the world, you are empowered in your pursuit of understanding. You therefore are led to question superficial explanations and seek deeper ones. You are led to question:

the goals and purposes of those you interact with,
the way they define their questions and problems,
the assumptions they are making,
the information they are using to support their arguments,
the conclusions (inferences) they come to,
the concepts that guide their thinking,
the implications inherent in their thinking, and
the point of view from which they are looking at situations.

Just as you question the logic of the thinking of those around you, you also question the logic of your own thinking.

Strategic Idea

When you realize that there is a logic to everything, you can think through the logic of the situations in which you find yourself. You can apply this principle in a number of directions, depending on your precise goals and objectives. Consider the questioning “inner voice” of the activist thinker focused on understanding the logic of his or her own thinking or the logic of others’ thinking:

Questioning goals, purposes, and objectives. What is the central purpose of this person? This group? Myself? I realize that problems in thinking are often the result of a mistake at the level of basic purpose. I realize that I must develop skill in shifting my goals and purposes. I realize that I must be clear about my purposes, about others’ purposes, about alternative purposes. I realize that I can always question my purposes as well as the purposes of others.
Questioning the way in which questions are framed, problems are posed, issues are expressed. What issues have to be addressed in this situation? What is the key question I should raise? I realize that if the problem is misconceptualized, it will not be solved. If I have misconceived the question, I will not find the answer. Furthermore, I understand the value of sticking to the question at hand, of not wandering to other issues before effectively dealing with the question at issue. I want to be aware of situations in which others are failing to stick to the question at issue.
Questioning information and sources of information. What information do I need to gather to figure out what is going on? Where can I get it? How can I test it? What information are others using? Is it accurate? Is it relevant to the issue? I realize that if I lack the information I need to deal effectively with this issue, my reasoning will be impaired. I also understand the problems inherent in using incorrect information in reasoning.
Questioning interpretations or conclusions. What interpretations, judgments, or conclusions are crucial to this situation? What conclusions am I coming to? What conclusions are others coming to? I understand that there is often more than one way to interpret situations. I value the ability to consider multiple ways to do so, weighing the pros and cons of each, before coming to a decision. I also want to be able to assess the quality of the conclusions that others are coming to.
Questioning the assumptions being made. What is being taken for granted? Is this a reasonable assumption? What would be reasonable to assume in this situation? I recognize that, because assumptions usually are unconscious, it is often difficult to determine what is being taking for granted. I want to be able to identify and correct my faulty assumptions. I also want to be able to accurately assess the assumptions others are using.
Questioning the concepts being used. What main ideas or concepts are being used? What implications follow from these ideas? What main ideas, or concepts, are crucial to making sense of this situation? I understand that whenever we think, we use concepts, and the way we use them both determines and is determined by the way we think in situations. Therefore, I must continually raise my awareness of the way concepts are being used, both by me and by others.
Questioning the point(s) of view being considered. What point(s) of view have to be considered? Have I failed to take into account some point(s) of view that are relevant to understanding and thinking through the issue? I realize that good reasoning often involves considering more than one way of looking at things. I therefore understand the value in being able to consider issues from multiple viewpoints. I recognize when others are unable or unwilling to see things from alternative viewpoints.
Questioning implications. Given the reasoning I am doing, what are the likely implications, positive and negative? What are the implications if I reason to this conclusion versus that conclusion? I understand that, whenever I reason, implications follow from my reasoning. Thus, I need to think through the potential consequences of decisions I am considering. I also question the implications of others’ thinking.

Just as we can seek to understand our own logic, we can seek to understand the logic of others. Perhaps an example will be helpful here. Imagine a person whose everyday life is based on the following thinking:

The simple pleasures are the key to happiness: sleeping, gardening, walking, enjoying nature, telling jokes, listening to music, reading books. Don’t seek more power or money than is necessary to get by. Don’t seek to change the world in significant ways because no matter what you do, nothing much will change. The people at the top will always be corrupt, and they will always have the power to hurt you. The large masses of people are lazy and irresponsible and always will be. Don’t get involved in the affairs of others. Avoid gossip.

Do not worry about what other people have. Don’t worry about injustice; those who commit unjust acts will naturally suffer negative consequences. Take things as they come. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be ready to laugh at yourself. Avoid conflict. When you do a job, do it well. Value your friends and support them. They will help you when you need them.

It would be of no use to attempt to persuade this person to become active in any social, political, or ethical cause. If you understand the basic logic of her thinking, you recognize that her response will always be the same: “You can’t fight city hall. Don’t worry about it. Those people will get their just desserts. Stay out of the battle. You can’t do any good. And you probably will do yourself some harm.”

The logic of this thinking has many implications, some positive, some negative. On the positive side, this thinking leads this person to enjoy life far beyond that enjoyed by most people, as she is continually seeing ordinary events—which most people treat as unimportant and insignificant—as objects of pleasure and delight. The simple act of looking out the window at a bird on a tree limb engenders inner warmth. On the negative side, she assumes no et

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